NASCAR Thread.

[JohnBM01]

I paid no mind to the overhyped All-Star Race. I didn't see a single minute of coverage. So congratulations to whoever won and STOP counting down to a meaningless race like this (talking to Speed Channel). STOP with the All-Star Countdown widget as well.

Congratulations to whoever won the #1M.

 

[toyota_gt1]

I paid no mind to the overhyped All-Star Race. I didn't see a single minute of coverage. So congratulations to whoever won and STOP counting down to a meaningless race like this (talking to Speed Channel). STOP with the All-Star Countdown widget as well.

Congratulations to whoever won the #1M.

The honors go to Kasey Kahne. He was the fan vote from the sprint showdown. The Gibbs cars had some problems. Stewart's had engine problems in practice, K. Busch blew up in segment 2/4 leading every lap up to that point. Denny Hamlin blew up with about 20 to go while leading that ultimately led to Kasey's win.

In all honosty, that was easily the worst all-star race I have ever seen in my 11 years of watching NASCAR. There wasn't even any caution's.

By the way, Jeff Gordon ran horrible. About a 15th place car all night.

 

[nissan tuner]

And here's my input: If Kyle Busch went from NASCAR to Formula One, then Formula One would be... ...scarred for life! He'd have to learn that tagging fenders is not going to happen in F1. He'll probably crash out 1/4 to 1/2 the field.

this is nascar, tagging fenders is in the sports DNA.

if you're referring to the incident at Richmond, that was jr. own fault. skip to 2:00 and you'll see what im talking about

If Kyle Busch went from NASCAR to Formula One, Formula One fans in the US would get the competitive American driver they've always wanted.

couldn't of said it any better. kyle busch would be the best thing to happen to F1 in a long time

 

[TS]

Once the Indycar series gets turned around and they stop losing top American talent to NASCAR you will eventually see a competitive F1 driver come from there, not NASCAR.

Besides Sea Bass and JPM, when was the last time we've seen a driver come from IndyCar/CART/Champ Car and get a ride in F1? Better yet, when was the last time a driver come from IndyCar/CART/Champ Car get in a competitive ride in F1?

The honors go to Kasey Kahne. He was the fan vote from the sprint showdown. The Gibbs cars had some problems. Stewart's had engine problems in practice, K. Busch blew up in segment 2/4 leading every lap up to that point. Denny Hamlin blew up with about 20 to go while leading that ultimately led to Kasey's win.

The Gibbs cars treated the all-star race similar to a test session, they were testing an engine package that they were going to run when they first switched to Toyota that made big power but was unreliable and they thought that they would be good in the All-Star race but Stewart blew 2 motors (once in testing and again in practice), Kyle Busch blew up after dominating Segments 1 & 2 and Hamlin blew up shortly into segment 4.

In all honosty, that was easily the worst all-star race I have ever seen in my 11 years of watching NASCAR. There wasn't even any caution's.

I thought the Showdown was a better race, but I think watching Sam Hornish Jr. come through the field with the car that crooked looking car that was damaged come through the field and finish 7th was pretty cool.

By the way, Jeff Gordon ran horrible. About a 15th place car all night.

The 24 (well all of Hendrick except junior) team just can't seem to figure out how to get the COT to work on intermediate tracks, they've ran good at short tracks, but they've struggled a ton on the big tracks.

 

[Studentdriver]

Besides Sea Bass, when was the last time we've seen a driver come from IndyCar/CART/Champ Car and get a ride in F1? Better yet, when was the last time a driver come from IndyCar/CART/Champ Car get in a competitive ride in F1?

JPM.

 

[Metar]

I paid no mind to the overhyped All-Star Race. I didn't see a single minute of coverage.

ESPN didn't broadcast it here - shame, I wanted to watch it.

The Gibbs cars treated the all-star race similar to a test session, they were testing an engine package that they were going to run when they first switched to Toyota that made big power but was unreliable and they thought that they would be good in the All-Star race but Stewart blew 2 motors (once in testing and again in practice), Kyle Busch blew up after dominating Segments 1 & 2 and Hamlin blew up shortly into segment 4.

They're probably kicking themselves that at least one of the three didn't run the regular package - from what you described, both Kyle and Danny were on their way to a victory?

JPM.

And how! The BMW-Williams of 2001 was easily third-best (which is funny considering Ralf's comments later on in his career), and also among the fastest teams in terms of raw pace - lots of power, a good chassis, but the reliability was down the drain. It finished less than 50% of the races it started...

 

[TS]

JPM.

Totally forgot about him coming from CART and the IRL.

Now I'll have to edit that bit.

They're probably kicking themselves that at least one of the three didn't run the regular package - from what you described, both Kyle and Danny were on their way to a victory?

Yeah, Kyle was just able to build a 2 second lead immediately on the start and the restarts of the race, other cars behind him were able to run similar lap times after 5 or so laps, but by then Kyle just built up too large of a gap for them to catch up. Until his motor let go though.

 

[Earth]

Besides Sea Bass and JPM, when was the last time we've seen a driver come from IndyCar/CART/Champ Car and get a ride in F1? Better yet, when was the last time a driver come from IndyCar/CART/Champ Car get in a competitive ride in F1?

In terms of American drivers, Michael Andretti was the last in 1993, with a top notch McLaren ride.

In the United States NASCAR has been king for some time now. After the American openwheel racing split in 1996 one after another top American openwheel drivers moved to NASCAR early in their career because openwheel was in shambles and would never attract the intrest of F1 teams, so they moved to NASCAR for either money or like Tony Stewart they wanted to be in the top motor racing series in America.

In America the local track is usualy a short oval or drag strip, that's why road course aces are few in the states. In Brazil and other places they are crazy over road racing and have a million go-kart tracks and that's why they produce so many good F1 drivers.

It's all about numbers and percentages.

An average kid in some other country grows up watching Formula 1 and they go and try to start their career in go-karts aiming for F1.

In the US the average kid grows up watching NASCAR, and he races the local oval track looking for a career in NASCAR.

NASCAR drivers who started out in openwheel like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, AJ Almendinger and others have shown they have the talent and experience to compete for a F1 ride but moved to NASCAR for reason stated above.

I don't think a NASCAR driver can make the transition to F1 not because they aren't talented enough, but because the learning curve would be too high and F1 is not like NASCAR where you can have a JPM crash cars and run in the back of the pack for a couple of seasons before you put the pressure on him.

They expect results right away, even in your initial tests, and I doubt someone who has been racing heavy cars on oval for most of their life can make the transition fast enough to get a ride, let alone a top ride when there are thousands in line with a ton of road course and openwheel experience.

Once Indycars get their act together and the league starts making money and they can pay the top young American talent enough money to keep them away from NASCAR you will eventually see an American driver come from Indycars into F1. F1 will be more willing to take him then a NASCAR driver because of his openwheel experience on roadcourses.

It may take a long time because of what I mentioned in this post, how many kids do you know in America want to race F1, and how many can even find the opportunity when openwheel racing is in such dissaray.

Of the current Indycar drivers only Marco Andretti fits the bill of a probable American F1 racer because of his age and experience, but I don't think he is good enough. There are only 20 seats available in F1, and into get into one you either have to be a poster boy/prop for your country like Scott Speed or you have to be better then the thousand openwheel/sportscar/touring car etc drivers in the world looking for a ride in F1.

Is Marco Andretti better then those other drivers? I don't think so. So the wait for a good American driver who can make it in F1 goes on, and it may take forever depending on how fast Indycars rise back to prominence.

 

[JohnBM01]

Okay. I had a chance to study the NASCAR All-Star Race from the SPEED Report show. I heard no collisions, no cautions... not like you need these to have good races. I don't call races the best ever for thugging on the race track. I'm not saying that drivers shouldn't rough up somebody else's fenders, but crashes and cautions aren't required for a race to be great. I didn't see the All-Star Race. All I saw was about three minutes of highlights. I also saw Greg Biffle win this inaugural Burnout Contest. You all don't mind if I don't Sound Off now, do I?



John's Sounds Off! - All the Hype... For This?
Boy, does Speed feel like crap hyping up this race since God knows how long... for this show? People said this was boring. NASCAR has competitive racing. I'm sure that this has to be the best full-contact concept for an All-Star event. Thing is, it's overhyped. Something with a lot of hype should be able to back it up so that it doesn't look all-show-no-go. While such a racing series is known more for crashes than actual racing, it's probably why a lot of fans felt disappointed. This disappointment most fans felt was nothing compared to, say... the 2005 United States Grand Prix where 22 cars started and only six took the green flag. Fans who follow any sport or motorsport are jacked about an event because a fan knows about the series and the action it provides. There's a pit stop competition during all the activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preperation for the Indy 500. ESPN/ABC doesn't overhype this... why Speed with NASCAR? There's voting for the Pro Bowl and then the Pro Bowl itself, and both aren't usually hyped... why this NASCAR All-Star Race? Not even the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway is seriously overhyped. Why this race?

This may sound purely irrational, but Speed sacrificed showing and hyping up real racing events for a show like this. What had to be hyped up was a non-championship, unimportant (even with the prize money) race at one of America's best race tracks (and I am a fan of the Charlotte oval). It wasn't the drivers' fault that they couldn't crash their cars like it was Saturday night the short track. Maybe they wanted to put on a good show without risking getting somebody else mad or injured heading into the more important Coca-Cola 600. All the counting down and stuff for an event like this shows that Speed has poor priorities. This was once a network showcasing some great action in cars and on motorcycles across a variety of racing series the world over. Even in the Speedvision days, the material was still uniquely American. Now it's almost FULLY American. Speed has had such a grip with NASCAR that many people just didn't care too much to see NASCAR almost every day. Some say the coverage could have been on FOX or FX. Others just wished that one little welcoming of NASCAR to Speedvision back in 2001 didn't materialize into a NASCAR-happy TV network. Either way, it's poor priorities. I don't mind NASCAR, I just don't want wall-to-wall NASCAR. If Speed can market the hell out of NASCAR, then why do so many other racing series fail to get so much hype and attention on the network? That EVEN includes a series SPONSORED BY THE SPEED CHANNEL... all put aside and not even given live coverage. The metaphor I'm using nowadays is that this series is sponsored like this is the "United States of North Carolina." I wished other viable and respected series have their time being marketed in ways other than showing crashes all day. A more important race happens Sunday after the Indy 500, yet Speed chose to market this one since NASCAR's top series is featured live in a true-to-goodness race on their network. It's really a shame. I didn't care to see the race because I cared more about the 600 than this. Shame on Speed... again.



I now want to turn my attention to the past statement I made about Kyle Busch giving an F1 car a go. I had no problem with Jeff Gordon in an F1 car because he's an exceptional competitor in NASCAR. I have some exceptions about certain drivers trying out these cars. I usually know people for personalities in addition to racing talent. Kyle Busch has had th mentality of a punk to a lot of drivers (including myself). I don't look at this as "finally, someone with character." Here's something about myself. When I love or hate something, I tend to think very strongly to either side. If I hate something, I have a tendency to express my hate using as many words in the English language to express my dislike. It's why I thought it would have been no-win for F1 if either Kyle Busch OR Tony Stewart tried F1. I just show next to no respect for people who are usually seen as punks on the race track. Paul Tracy is seen as a punk, but I like Paul Tracy. If he did F1 with his personality, I'd be fine with it. He could call whatever F1 ride he get as a "crapwagon" 'til kingdom come, and I'll still support him. I just haven't supported Kyle Busch as world-class talent to get into an F1 car. That's why I've had my rather biased view on him with this deal going. But more power to him if he enjoys F1 and can drive an F1 car quite well. At least this would offset the statement made by a NASCAR driver when asked if he'd go to F1 by answering: "why would I step down to Formula 1?"



John's Debate! - Worth the Hype?
Name as many NASCAR races you think should be hyped up on TV if you were part of the marketing crew at NASCAR. Are you okay with the hype surrounding the NASCAR All-Star Race? Do you like the idea of a Burnout Contest as part of the All-Star festivities?

 

[Metar]

You seem to ignore the fact that a driver, especially a top-level driver, can quickly adjust his aggressiveness. Kyle Busch might be a tad aggressive on the ovals, but who knows how he'll drive a far more delicate, and fragile, single-seater?

 

[JohnBM01]

That is something I do admit. I usually get the feeling that drivers may still be some of the best at controlling a race car. The thing I take for granted is that the driver's personality gets in the way of being an extremely polished racer. It just happens to me sometimes. I just tend to forget the actual level of racing talent. I do apologize if this has offended any of you.

 

[TS]

John's Debate! - Worth the Hype?
Name as many NASCAR races you think should be hyped up on TV if you were part of the marketing crew at NASCAR. Are you okay with the hype surrounding the NASCAR All-Star Race? Do you like the idea of a Burnout Contest as part of the All-Star festivities?

1. Daytona 500
2. Coca-Cola 600 (Lowe's)
3. Toyota/Save-Mart 350 (Infineon)
4. Brickyard 400 (Indy)
5. (insert random sponsor here) at the 'Glen
6. Ford 400 @ Homestead-Miami

To an extent, I think the All-Star race deserves the hype it gets because in most cases, it's an all or nothing race, and I think DW says it best; 'bring me a million dollars or bring back the steering wheel' but I think Speed over did it. I mean really over did it.

You seem to ignore the fact that a driver, especially a top-level driver, can quickly adjust his aggressiveness. Kyle Busch might be a tad aggressive on the ovals, but who knows how he'll drive a far more delicate, and fragile, single-seater?

True, we'll never know what Kyle Busch is like in a different type of car until we see how his test in the Toyota F1 car goes in November.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Nationwide Series has a new prototype. I picked this up from another message board, and I'd like for you to check this out:

http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/features/05/20/inside.research.development.center/index.html

The final picture is of a prototype for the Nationwide Series cars. What do you think about this new car for the Nationwide Series?

 

[TS]

This picture?

 

[RACECAR]

Holy S***! Vickers just lost a tire and it flew into the Infield. Hope no one was there where it hit.

 

[wrcsti]

Noone was. Good race going on.

 

[nissan tuner]

Tony you blew it!

at least kyle got into the podium

 

[JohnBM01]

Kasey Khane wins an overhyped non-championship All-Star Race (albeit $1M richer)... and would win a few more $1M and above by winning the Coca-Cola 600. Congratulations to Kasey Khane. I always call this race as NASCAR's version of Le Mans. Sitting in a stock car for about four hours while trying to hold up the entire length of the race is a serious challenge. Really, I congratulate all 43 drivers that competed on the amazing Charlotte Motor Speedway oval. Hendrick Motorsports hasn't won yet (sad, but true). I was thinking Jeff Gordon was going to make a run. He still finished 4th. Just a tough year for Hendrick Motorsports so far. I'd love to see Jeff Gordon win again.



John's Debate! - 600?
I consider this race to be one of the greatest challenges NASCAR faces. It's a 500 race with 100 extra miles, really pushing driver and machine to their respective breaking points. All of which happens on one of my favorite tracks, Charlotte/Lowe's Motor Speedway. How would you describe the Coca-Cola 600 if you were educating people on NASCAR's biggest races? Is this a race you want to win if you're trying to be one of the best racers in America? How was this race for you as a fan?


I want to give a shout-out to the NASCAR Trucks team that won at Mansfield. This is TRG's first win in Trucks.

 

[TS]

Kasey Khane wins an overhyped non-championship All-Star Race (albeit $1M richer)... and would win a few more $1M and above by winning the Coca-Cola 600. Congratulations to Kasey Khane. I always call this race as NASCAR's version of Le Mans. Sitting in a stock car for about four hours while trying to hold up the entire length of the race is a serious challenge. Really, I congratulate all 43 drivers that competed on the amazing Charlotte Motor Speedway oval. Jeff Gordon hasn't won yet (sad, but true). I was thinking Jeff Gordon was going to make a run. He still finished 4th. Just a tough year for Gordon so far. I'd love to see Jeff Gordon win again.

Fixed.

John's Debate! - 600?
I consider this race to be one of the greatest challenges NASCAR faces. It's a 500 race with 100 extra miles, really pushing driver and machine to their respective breaking points. All of which happens on one of my favorite tracks, Charlotte/Lowe's Motor Speedway. How would you describe the Coca-Cola 600 if you were educating people on NASCAR's biggest races? Is this a race you want to win if you're trying to be one of the best racers in America? How was this race for you as a fan?

I would describe it like the 12 hours of Sebring, a race that starts in the day time and ends at night. And as time goes on, especially towards nighttime, track conditions and grip increase.

 

[JohnBM01]

I always say Le Mans, but Sebring is more accurate. I would probably go on the record of saying that winning this race is kind of like winning Le Mans after putting in 500 miles plus an extra 100. Even more so as all or most stock car teams are based in North Carolina. This is a race every NASCAR Cup driver wants to win for home pride.

Anyone else? Any more comments on the Coca-Cola 600, my debate, or an outlook to Dover?

 

[Earth]

I was thinking about Juan Montoya and why he hasn't progressed this year

Sure he ran high in the points earlier but that was because he managed to stay out of trouble, not because of great results

I think the problem with him is that he isn't running the Nationwide races anymore. He needs all the track time he can get, and if he can't bother to run Nationwide races then he will never become an elite driver on an elite team

John I am looking forward to seeing Joey Lagono's debut in the Nationwide series at Dover tomorrow. He is suppose to be the next big thing and this will be my first chance to see him race

 

[TS]

I was thinking about Juan Montoya and why he hasn't progressed this year

Sure he ran high in the points earlier but that was because he managed to stay out of trouble, not because of great results

I think the problem with him is that he isn't running the Nationwide races anymore. He needs all the track time he can get, and if he can't bother to run Nationwide races then he will never become an elite driver on an elite team

JPM is the defending cup ROTY, and if Ganassi hadn't pulled him out of his Nationwide ride mid-way through the season he would've won ROTY there as well. It isn't about the lack of track time with him, it's just because his team, and for that matter the Ganassi organization of a whole aren't running as well as they did last year.

And the fact that Montoya's crew chief got swapped to the 41 team isn't helping his case either, neither does Dario Franchitti missing the last 5 or 6 races after his ankle injry.

 

[JohnBM01]

Here is a mini-debate:

Who are you most surprised with not winning a race so far? (NOTE: This includes drivers and even teams) Who are you most surprised with not being in the Top 12 in championship points?

 

[Earth]

Who are you most surprised with not winning a race so far?

Jeff Gordon. I think it's due to the fact the other teams are doing unique things with the cars like the yaw you see, he said he tried it but didn't like it.

Who are you most surprised with not being in the Top 12 in championship points?

Matt Kenseth

-----------------

Now here is something that hit me out of nowhere

Scott Speed is going on a winning rampage. He won his first stock car race in an ARCA car not too long ago, then he won again in the trucks today.

Sure, the names and teams in the race (outside of Kyle Busch who had transmission problems that sidelined him for a while after he led the first 100 laps) where underwhelming and he had a very well prepared car, but still to win vs seasoned veterans with so little oval experience is impressive. 2nd Hornaday did have a sour engine and 3rd Sprague had a tight car.

So he has proven himself to be pretty good on the ovals, but again the truck series is NASCAR's 3rd rate series. BUT I think these wins prove he can run in the Sprint cup series someday. There's plenty of guys running in Sprint Cup that couldn't win the races he did so he should have no problem getting in if he doesn't regress.

Just another talented driver to add to the Sprint Cup Roster

...NASCAR needs it's own forum and so does Indycars and Sports Car Racing...

EDIT: I'm looking at the WRC forum and all the latest posts have nothing to do with the racing, but instead are nothing but ugliest or best looking rally car and other dull topics...this is not fair, alot of issues that come up need their own thread...they don't need to be swallowed up in 1000 post threads...I've asked for a NASCAR forum and was denied because some poeple believe that because they hate it so does everyone else...sigh...my mood will stay the same...

 

[JohnBM01]

Something I thought about Jeff Gordon... could it be that that hard whack he took at the inside wall at Vegas be a reason why he isn't doing too well? Some even think fatherhood is a deterrent. Which is why people doubted if Tiger Woods would continue being the golf god he is.

Anyone else want to share who you all are surprised to not see in a race or in the Top 12?

 

[Jim Prower]

I'll just say this: Petty and Earnhardt had their off-seasons. Jeff'll have his.

 

[TS]

Here is a mini-debate:

Who are you most surprised with not winning a race so far? (NOTE: This includes drivers and even teams) Who are you most surprised with not being in the Top 12 in championship points?

I'm surprised that Dale Jr. hasn't won a race yet (points race) even though he's driving for Hendrick, the team that won 50% of the races last season. I'm even more surprised the HMS hasn't won more races this season as well.

I'm with Earth on the 2nd question, I'm very surprised that Kenseth isn't in the top-12, but I remember him being further down in the points in '05, I believe he was 26th at one point in the season, then in the summer he just started a tear of top-5 finishes and wins and just squeezed himself into the chase.

Now here is something that hit me out of nowhere

Scott Speed is going on a winning rampage. He won his first stock car race in an ARCA car not too long ago, then he won again in the trucks today.

Sure, the names and teams in the race (outside of Kyle Busch who had transmission problems that sidelined him for a while after he led the first 100 laps) where underwhelming and he had a very well prepared car, but still to win vs seasoned veterans with so little oval experience is impressive. 2nd Hornaday did have a sour engine and 3rd Sprague had a tight car.

So he has proven himself to be pretty good on the ovals, but again the truck series is NASCAR's 3rd rate series. BUT I think these wins prove he can run in the Sprint cup series someday. There's plenty of guys running in Sprint Cup that couldn't win the races he did so he should have no problem getting in if he doesn't regress.

Just another talented driver to add to the Sprint Cup Roster

...NASCAR needs it's own forum and so does Indycars and Sports Car Racing...

I believe Scott Speed has something on his side that the other open-wheelers coming to NASCAR don't: youth. Scott's barely 22 years old while most of the other open-wheelers are in their early 30s, and Scott right now doesn't feel the pressure to perform as the other open-wheel guys, as he's not being thrown to the wolves by being put into a cup car. I believe if Bill Davis racing doesn't rush him to cup, meaning keeping him in the truck & ARCA car, and maybe throw him into a few Nationwide races, I think he'll be ready to do some limited cup racing this season and '09 and he should be ready for a full time ride in 2010.

Something I thought about Jeff Gordon... could it be that that hard whack he took at the inside wall at Vegas be a reason why he isn't doing too well? Some even think fatherhood is a deterrent. Which is why people doubted if Tiger Woods would continue being the golf god he is.

Anyone else want to share who you all are surprised to not see in a race or in the Top 12?

I think it's just that Hendrick Motorsports hasn't developed the COT very much in the off-season considering their success with it last year and didn't want to mess with it. Unfortunately for them, other teams like Gibbs, Roush-Fenway, Penske, etc.. did develop the COT and found things that make it perform thinking that Hendrick would again be the dominant team this season. But right now, Hendrick teams are struggling with the car, primarily the intermediate, cookie-cutter tracks.

 

[Metar]

I believe Scott Speed has something on his side that the other open-wheelers coming to NASCAR don't: youth. Scott's barely 22 years old while most of the other open-wheelers are in their early 30s, and Scott right now doesn't feel the pressure to perform as the other open-wheel guys, as he's not being thrown to the wolves by being put into a cup car. I believe if Bill Davis racing doesn't rush him to cup, meaning keeping him in the truck & ARCA car, and maybe throw him into a few Nationwide races, I think he'll be ready to do some limited cup racing this season and '09 and he should be ready for a full time ride in 2010.

Pressure might've been the very thing that killed his Formula 1 career. While he clearly wasn't the next big thing, he wasn't much behind his teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi, and was pretty decent, for the car he drove. However, pressure to perform caused him to overdrive his car, resulting in driver-errors when the car didn't fail on him - which it did, most of the time.

I wasn't a fan of him at F1 - I was on Liuzzi's side - but I'll be cheering for him once he reaches Nationwide (the lowest rank that gets broadcast here).



And just as a question - what do you guys mean by developing? I thought they used that big template?

 

[Earth]

And just as a question - what do you guys mean by developing? I thought they used that big template?

Carl Edwards and other top drivers in Sprint Cup this year have been running with their car in a yaw, they've moved the rear housing to where the car's tires are offset. This helps the car turn through the corners better on the 1.5 and 2.0 mile tracks

You can see it during the race, they look like they're driving sideways down the straight, but I couldn't find a decent picture so here is a exaggerated rendition

A setup like that helps the car turn more naturally around an oval

NASCAR was asked about it and told the teams to do what they want. Jeff gordon tried it on his car and said he didn't like it, and you can tell he isn't running it because his car drives straight down the straights. Those who can make it work like Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards are tearing up the field. I think that's the key to their success this season and why they are so far ahead of Hendrick on the larger tracls.

NASCAR teams will look for any advantage they can, Chad Knaus has done many genius things to Jimmy Johnson's cars that are grey in the rule book and that's how they won so much but now Gibbs and other teams have found better loop holes in the rules

NASCAR may be very low tech and run cookie cutter cars but that doesn't stop the teams from playing around and tinkering with everything they can for an advantage.

Simply doing something like taking the cover off the oil tank which is illegal will give you 200lbs of extra downforce.

 

[Metar]

Interesting idea. Oval racing is so much different compared to other motorsports - the fact that a whole direction to turn isn't required really changes what you can and can't do to the car.


Also, rain on the track at the moment? That was the last thing I saw before the ESPN satellite crapped out - no reception on cables or satellite now.